Well, I am in California, I don't know if this is the State you would want to be in right now, but anyway it took me about 5 years to get things rolling here fairly good, my family was already established here, I do hogs, bear, and some muley hunts, my business just comes from word of mouth, I advertise very little...I also do alot of guiding for fishing also...If California is a consideration,you should have enough money together to last for expenses for at least 3 years...but with the economy in the shape it is in starting a career of guiding might present a little trouble...I guess as long as you had plenty of money to finance getting started and all of your expenses like I said for 3 years or so or maybe even longer...you could make a go of it...I would diffentely take a hard look at what state I was going to do this in. For California go to Central Calor Northern Cal, stay out of the south, there is not much in Southern California.
Anyways...just my thoughts!